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Old 01-01-2021, 03:08 PM   #1
Pragmatic
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Default Eastern RPG elements?

I'm trying to design a character (a psionic martial artist), and there are some elements I want to include. I don't know where to find them. A lot of this is influenced by The Last Airbender (Guru Pathik and Ty Lee).

Meditation, I expect to be a skill in the Basic books, so I won't ask about that.

How about chakras, are they mentioned anywhere? (I've seen 7 chakras mentioned the most, but I see a lot of cultivation stories which have up to 12.)

How about pressure points (hitting the right unarmored spot to effectively disable a limb)?
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Old 01-01-2021, 03:21 PM   #2
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Default Re: Eastern RPG elements?

Nothing I can think of really hits all the buttons. However besides Basic you'll find Martial Arts and Chinese Elemental Powers useful.
Also there is a Pyramid that adapts Sorcery into Chi powers if you want and it has a Affliction build for Pressure Points. If your interested Ill look to see which one it is.
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Old 01-01-2021, 03:37 PM   #3
Pragmatic
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Default Re: Eastern RPG elements?

I am considering using Sorcery for the psionics (if there's a setup for psionics using Sorcery? there's already three or four different setups for psionics, so I don't know how they compare).

And yes, I have all the Pyramid vol. 3 issues, so if you can find it, I'd appreciate it.
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Old 01-01-2021, 03:46 PM   #4
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Default Re: Eastern RPG elements?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pragmatic View Post
I am considering using Sorcery for the psionics (if there's a setup for psionics using Sorcery? there's already three or four different setups for psionics, so I don't know how they compare).

And yes, I have all the Pyramid vol. 3 issues, so if you can find it, I'd appreciate it.
Pyramid #3/105 Cinematic Magic. Wish I had a easy to rad local index file
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My GURPS fan contribution and blog:
REFPLace GURPS Landing Page
My List of GURPS You Tube videos (plus a few other useful items)
My GURPS Wiki entries
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Old 01-01-2021, 05:11 PM   #5
dcarson
 
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Default Re: Eastern RPG elements?

I once worked on pressure points to do specialized things as a set of Afflictions with Requires Skill Roll to hit them. So there was one that would make the target unconscious, one that would cause fear etc. No idea where the notes are though.
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Old 01-01-2021, 05:17 PM   #6
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Default Re: Eastern RPG elements?

One of the items on my list of possible book proposals is a guide to siddhis (miraculous powers as conceived in Hindu thought). It would be a hybrid of meditative magic (where you earn merit and gain power by doing so) and magic-as-powers. But it's not at the top of my list. On the other hand, if you research siddhis you can find some helpful lists of powers that people in India have long believed attainable . . .
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Old 01-01-2021, 05:46 PM   #7
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Default Re: Eastern RPG elements?

There are a lot of ways to use South Asian mysticism. Chakras are part of the Tantric practices derived from religious beliefs that predate the conservatism of contemporary Hinduism and are not really East Asian mystical practices. Taoism possesses its own unique practices that have minor similarities with Tantric practices, though they may have originated from Chinese mystical practices that were ancient when Taoism was founded (and Tantric practices may be equally ancient practices derived from the original mysticism of the Dravidians).

Chakras could either be developed as their own magical system, as energy reserves, or as abilities, depending on the metaphysics of the setting. In the case of a magical system, I would treat them as a form of RPM, with each Chakra being its own Path. Meditation would be a prerequisite for Ritual Magic (Tantric), which would be a prerequisite for the first Chakra, which would be a perquisites for the second Chakra, etc. The key balancing feature would be that nothing could exceed its prerequisites.
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Old 01-01-2021, 11:51 PM   #8
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Default Re: Eastern RPG elements?

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
In the case of a magical system, I would treat them as a form of RPM,
Of course you would.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pragmatic View Post
I am considering using Sorcery for the psionics (if there's a setup for psionics using Sorcery? there's already three or four different setups for psionics, so I don't know how they compare).

And yes, I have all the Pyramid vol. 3 issues, so if you can find it, I'd appreciate it.
The difference between Psionic Powers (and Chinese Elemental Powers) on the one hand, and Sorcery (and Chi Sorcery) on the other is that the former don't have any “core abilities” that the others serve as Alternate Abilities to. This can easily be changed: on the one hand, you can strip out the core Ability from Chi Sorcery and end up with a selection of Chi-based Powers and Abilities that work the way that Chinese Elemental Powers do. On the other hand, you could add variations of Sorcerous Empowerment to Psionic Powers and Chinese Elemental Powers to make them more Sorcery-like.

For Psionic Powers, this variant might be called “Latent Psionic Potential” and might possibly have limitations such as “only under stress” or “uncontrolled” too represent latent psychics who don't have any control over their Psionic potential. You should also decide whether you want this Latent Potential to apply to all psionic abilities of to be specific to particular psionic powers. If you do the former, price it the same as Sorcerous Empowerment; of the latter, consider pricing each one the same as Chi Investment (from the aforementioned Chi Sorcery article).

Similar thoughts apply to turning Chinese Elemental Powers into a Sorcery system. In fact, you might consider merging it with Chi Sorcery, with Chi Investment pricing being used for a core Ability that only applies to one Element or to one of Internal or External Chi, and with the Sorcerous Empowerment pricing applying to a core Ability that includes all of the Chinese Elemental Powers.

Either way, I'd for the Chi Sorcery Abilities into Chinese Elemental Powers by reassigning them to appropriate elements (which you can determine by looking at which esoteric skills are associated with which elements).
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Old 01-02-2021, 07:05 AM   #9
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Default Re: Eastern RPG elements?

Quote:
Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
One of the items on my list of possible book proposals is a guide to siddhis (miraculous powers as conceived in Hindu thought). It would be a hybrid of meditative magic (where you earn merit and gain power by doing so) and magic-as-powers. But it's not at the top of my list. On the other hand, if you research siddhis you can find some helpful lists of powers that people in India have long believed attainable . . .
That would be a very useful book for a campaign I'm planning. But just the word is helpful, my research not having got that far yet.
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